Communication devices are used throughout the world for a nearly endless array of purposes. Communication devices, such as network interface cards, communicate with a network through any number of communication methods to transmit and/or receive data. Network interface cards and other such communication devices can be found in large, complex computing devices, such as smart phones, desktop computers, or supercomputers, as well as in some of the smallest, simplest electronic devices, such as in electronic tracking devices. In one example, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are communication devices often used in the shipping and transportation industry, placed on an object to track the movement of the object (e.g., containers, pallets, and goods) as they are transported from one location to another.
In some instances, a communication device that is installed on or comprises part of an object may be used to track the movement of an object from one geographic location to another. The communication device may be in communication with readers, network access points, or other such communicating equipment in the starting location and then at the destination location, with the location of the communication device, and the associated object, identified accordingly. In many cases, the communication device may use wireless transmissions to communicate with local communicating equipment due to the speed and convenience of such communications, particularly in instances where hundreds or even thousands of communication devices may be passing in and out of a geographic location, such as a shipping port.
In many systems, in order for a communication device, and thus its associated object, to be identified when moving from one geographic location to another, the communication device continuously broadcasts a transmission. Once the communication device has arrived at a new geographic location, a communicating device there can pick up the transmission and identify the device and its associated object accordingly. However, such a system is only beneficial when the communication device is moved between communicating devices that communicate using the same configuration scheme. If the communication device is moved between communicating device using different configuration schemes, the broadcast transmission by the communication device may not be received by the second communicating device, and, in some instances, may even be illegal in the new geographic area. For example, many countries set specific rules and regulations on wireless transmissions, which may be broken by a communication device that does not adjust the configuration scheme for wireless transmissions upon movement from one country to another.
However, communication devices are often unable to identify their geographic location. In many instances, a communication device and its associated electronic device may be modified to self-identify a geographic location. However, such modification may be expensive due to the number of communication devices and necessary hardware, difficult to implement due to the number of communication devices and constantly changing location, and may adversely affect the life and/or size of the communication device due to the significant power required to operate such modified devices, which can in turn adversely affect the usage of the communication device. Thus, there is a need for a technical solution for the smart configuration of communication devices to accommodate for regulations at a new geographic location, without the need for self-identification by the communication devices and with minimal modification to existing communication infrastructures.